1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to board games and, more particularly, to board games that simulate war and other military conflicts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although history shows that wars have been the most cataclysmic of human activities, there is a pervading interest in war and military conflict during times of both war and peace. This interest is manifested in books, movies, and other media of communication. In addition, throughout the years, a number of board games have been developed relating to war, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those board games: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,093,236; 4,753,441; 4,902,017; 5,020,805; and 5,108,112. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,236 employs a fictitious map for a fictitious territory and relates to a fictitious war. Part of the fascination with war is the simulated refighting of an actual war. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which includes a real map for a real territory involved in a real war.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,753,441 and 4,902,017 disclose war games that include game boards that include grid patterns on the boards. Although grid patterns may be useful in structuring the play of the game, grid patterns may be deemed a too distant departure from real-world conditions where grid patterns may not exist. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which included a game board which were free of grid patterns.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,805 discloses a war game which has a theme of the Vietnam war. The game includes simulations of specific features of the Vietnam War such as a jungle, squads of small numbers of men, and prisoner of war camps in which American prisoners were kept. An object of the game is to free prisoners from the prison camps. The most recent war, however, in American history is the Persian Gulf War, not the Vietnam War. Moreover, there are many negative memories of the Vietnam War which was not a clear-cut victory for the United States. In the Persian Gulf War, however, the victory of the United States was clear cut. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which relates to the Persian Gulf War in which the United States and its allies were victorious.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,112 is a board game that relates to the Persian Gulf War. Specific aspects of the Persian Gulf War are mentioned in the game and included on the game board. For example, the game board makes reference to barrels of oil, to Scud missile attacks, to Patriot missile launches, to bunkers, and to prisoners. The object of the game is to accumulate the most barrels of oil before running out of missiles. Although it is appreciated that this game relates to the Persian Gulf War, there are important features of the Persian Gulf War that are left out of this game. In the Persian Gulf War, the use of manned airplanes was a critical component of victory, yet this game appears to ignore the use of manned airplanes. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which simulated the Persian Gulf War and included simulated manned airplanes as part of the game.
In addition, in the Persian Gulf War, sea-launched cruise missiles (such as the Tomahawk) were an important feature of the war. Yet the game in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,112 does not appear to include sea-launched weapons. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which simulated the Persian Gulf War and included simulated sea-based weapons.
Another problem associated with the Persian Gulf War game disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,112 is the fact that features of the war are represented on the game board as mere two-dimensional depictions or as mere descriptive words. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which included small three-dimensional objects which simulate the real three-dimensional objects involved in the Persian Gulf War. For example, it would be desirable for a Persian Gulf War game to include small, three-dimensional simulated airplanes, boats, Scud missiles, and soldiers.
As stated above, the object of the game in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,112 is to accumulate the most barrels of oil before running out of missiles. Such an object may be a desirable object in war. However, a more realistic object in war is to conquer territory. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game were provided which had as its goal the conquest of territory.
Still other features would be desirable in a board game relating to war. For example, to be interesting, a game has a blend of skill and luck. Luck usually enters by the use a chance selection device such as a pair of dice or a spinner. In this respect, it would be desirable if a Persian Gulf War game were provided with a chance selection device such as a pair of dice or a spinner.
Another feature of many games is a random arrangement of instructions. Often a stack of cards are provided which contain instructions. The stack of cards is often shuffled so that the order of the cards is random. In this respect, it would be desirable if a Persian Gulf War game were provided which includes a stack of instruction cards shuffled into a random order.
Another aspect of the Persian Gulf War that was unique to that war was the use of the Patriot anti-missile missile. In this respect, it would be desirable if a board game that simulates the Persian Gulf War be provided with simulated Patriot missiles.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use board games that simulate war, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a war game apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) includes a real map for a real territory involved in a real war; (2) includes a game board which is free of grid patterns; (3) relates to the Persian Gulf War in which the United States and its allies were victorious; (4) simulates the Persian Gulf War and includes simulated manned airplanes as part of the game; (5) includes simulated sea-based weapons; (6) includes small, three-dimensional simulated airplanes, boats, Scud missiles, and soldiers; (7) has as its goal the conquest of territory; (8) provides a chance selection device such as a pair of dice or a spinner; (9) includes a stack of instruction cards shuffled into a random order; and (10) provides simulated Patriot missiles. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique war game apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.